Drawing of Observatory
Fridays At Sperry

AAI holds its regular General Membership Meetings on the third Friday of the month from September through May in the Roy Smith Theater or Main Lecture Hall on the Union County Community College campus. On all other Friday evenings, AAI presents informal presentations which are held in the Sperry Observatory classroom at 8:30 p.m. These are free and open to the public. On these Fridays, the observatory is open from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m.

The first Friday of each month is normally reserved for Kathy Vaccari's "What's Up: A Down to Earth Sky Guide." At Kathy's lecture, you'll learn about the constellations, planets, meteor showers, lunar phases, and other celestial happenings for that month.

December 2, 2011 What's Up: A Down-to-Earth Sky Guide   Kathy Vaccari
  Space Missions Briefing  Bill Whitehead
December 9, 2011 Women in Astronomy  Dr. Al Gottlieb
December 16, 2011 General Membership Meeting  
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December 23, 2011 One World, One Sky - The Common Thread of Astronomy Across Cultures and Time  Tricia Petroski
Ms Petroski said, "The premise will be on how different cultures, some with no contact with one another, were asking the same questions and often making the same discoveries and how, even today, the need to explore and understand our universe is something all mankind has in common. To keep it seasonal, I'll also touch on how the North Star has played in literature and religion, be it under differing names, of various groups throughout history."
December 30, 2011 Highlights of the Sky for 2012   Al Witzgall

January 6, 2012 What's Up: A Down-to-Earth Sky Guide   Kathy Vaccari
  Space Missions Briefing  Bill Whitehead
January 13, 2012 "Astronomical" Numbers  Aaron Zuckerman
January 20, 2012 General Membership Meeting  
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January 27, 2012 The Temperature of Space  Dr. Dale Gary
Dr. Gary said, "Each time we will choose a theme for discussion, and, after a brief introduction of the topic, will have a free-ranging discussion exploring the physics behind the topic. The goal will be to make the subject accessible to everyone--both those without special knowledge of physics and those who may have read and studied widely on the topic."

February 3, 2012 What's Up: A Down-to-Earth Sky Guide   Kathy Vaccari
  Space Missions Briefing  Bill Whitehead
February 10, 2012 Update on New Horizons Mission  Helder Jacinto
February 17, 2012 General Membership Meeting  
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February 24, 2012 Supernova! 25 Years After Sn1987a  Al Witzgall

From 7:30 to 10:30pm, whenever weather conditions permit, the public is invited to view the night skies through the 24-inch reflector and the 10-inch refractor telescopes. Trained observers are on hand to operate this equipment and to answer your questions.

This service is provided to you free of charge, and we have lots of free parking. Of course, donations are always welcome.

A note to AAI Members: We wish to encourage all AAI members to get involved and present astronomy topics on Friday evenings to the public. If interested, please contact Mary Ducca


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Page last updated 01/17/2012